[Allan Topol / AllanTopol.Com]
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Part of a Larger War
by Allan Topol, [IMAGE]2005

ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED AT MILITARY.COM, July 19, 2006

Photo Courtesy: Julie Zitin
[Allan Topol / AllanTopol.Com] Ever since Israel’s creation in 1948, that nation has endured periodic wars. It is important to recognize that the current battles with Hezbollah in the north and Hamas in the south are considerably different. This time Israel is not fighting with neighboring governments intent to destroy it or to reshape boundaries in the Middle East. This time Israel’s real enemy is the Islamic Jihad movement strengthened and nurtured by Iran.

The Iranians, using their stooges in Syria have for years been training and supplying radical Hezbollah and Hamas forces. Iran’s intent is to wage a holy war on Israel as well as the Christian west. The objective is far broader than even creating Shiite dominance in the area from Iran to the Mediterranean.

What is happening between Israel and Hezbollah must be viewed as a continuation of the 9/11 attacks on the United States, the British and Spanish railroad bombings and the riots in France last year that were started by Muslim youth. In this regard, Israel is on the frontline of a war between the civilized world which adheres to the rule of law, and Muslim lawless elements who adhere to no orderly principles. That their acts lead to considerable death and suffering among their own people is of no consequence.

The evidence of Iranian direction in the Hezbollah crisis is clear. Not only are Iranian troops stationed in Lebanon, but the rockets being fired into Israel as well as other weaponry have been supplied by Tehran. The evidence on this point is indisputable. Even more troublesome, the missile which struck the Israeli ship, enforcing the blockade around Lebanon was a CT 802, which is a Chinese manufactured missile supplied to Iran. The Israeli government has downplayed the origin of the missile, but it was Chinese. Though China is not at war with Israel, the difficulty in supplying weapons to a nation such as Iran is that there is no telling where they might be used.

The statement issued on Monday by the G8 leaders meeting in Russia was surprising. The world’s leading industrial nations placed the blame for the crisis squarely on the “extremist forces” of Hamas and Hezbollah, just as President Bush has done from the beginning. While the statement also called for Israel to “exercise the utmost restraint,” this is far milder than the normal demands by the Europeans and Russians in other military situations against Israel. Indeed, the soft tone adopted toward Israel is confirmation that these leaders recognize that Israel is fighting their battle for them.

All of the leaders at the G8 have their own problems with Muslim radicals, most notably Putin and Chirac. They recognize that the Jihadists must be stopped before they continue to wage endless war. This same conclusion is shared among the major Arab nations including Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, all of whom are governed by Sunni regimes and have been struggling to keep militant Shiites under control. To be sure, not a single leader in any of those countries would ever publicly say it, but privately they recognize the irony that Israel is fighting their battle.

Liberals laughed at President Bush and showered him with contempt when he referred to Syria and Iran as part of “the axis of evil.” Unfortunately the events of the past week have demonstrated that the president had it exactly right. The instigators of what is happening are in Tehran and in Syria.

The major industrial nations who met at the G8 also bear a share of responsibility. They were the ones who crafted the U.N. resolution when Israel withdrew from Southern Lebanon calling for Hezbollah to disarm as part of that arrangement. Yet, when Hezbollah flaunted the terms of the U.N. resolution, no action was taken. Likewise, these same nations, with France at the forefront, had a second opportunity last year after the assassination of a Lebanese leader to force Syria and the armed militias, which it supports, to leave Lebanon. Again, they did nothing.

It is unfortunate that innocent Lebanese are suffering, just as it is unfortunate that innocent Israelis are being killed and wounded. However, the Israeli objective of once and for all eliminating Hezbollah, this cancer in the midst of Lebanon, is worthwhile and in the long term interest of the civilized world. The end game must be the disarming of Hezbollah, the establishment of a peaceful border between Lebanon and Israel, and the defeat of the Jihadists.